The Brave One
by Michelle-And-The-Beatle
Summary: Bilbo is rather hyped over their most recent battle with the orcs and wargs, and he can't seem to sleep. Thorin talks to the hobbit and eventually resolves that problem. Please Enjoy!


After the encounter with the Lord of the Eagles, and after Bilbo had earned Thorin's trust and respect, the dwarves and Gandalf ventured further through the wilderness to get to the Mirkwood Forest.

They rested in a nearby cave at the base of one of the smaller (and less dangerous) mountains to continue on their journey the next morning. Thorin's wounds from the encounter with the orcs and wolves had nearly healed, but he was still sore. Almost every dwarf fell asleep quite easily, and Gandalf soon found his way to sleep, as well. Though Bilbo Baggins was exhausted, he found that he could not fall asleep. He guessed it was still the adrenaline from battle that kept him awake. As he stared blankly at the fire Bifur had made, he fingered the ring still in his pocket, twirling it around in there.

"No rest for you tonight, hobbit?" came the now familiar gruff voice of the dwarf King. Bilbo didn't break his gaze from the crackling fire.

"I'm just not very tired, is all."

"No, you're tired. You just don't want to rest, and you feel like you can't."

"Wh- How did you know that?" Bilbo turned his head towards Thorin, who was leaning on the rock of the mountain cave's wall. Then he stood and made his way to the opposite side of the fire, carefully so as to not wake up any of the sleeping dwarves.

"I once had a first battle, as well. Though I was used to it. I know it may seem hard, but you should try to sleep," Thorin looked from the fire and then to the hobbit. He could see Bilbo's eyes wide open, and his body was trembling, even though it was summer.

"No-No, I'm perfectly alright. You deserve to rest, and you are quite battered and bruised, after all."

"I'll live. Lie down and sleep will come over you soon enough."

"You don't have to baby me, I am almost a fully grown hobbit and I can take care of myself."

"_Almost_ fully grown," Thorin smirked ever so slightly. Bilbo opened his mouth to retort, but then decided against it. He resumed his place in staring at the burning fire, the glow from it casting shadows on both his and Thorin's faces.

"How-How did you do it?" Bilbo asked, picking up a long branch and poking the fire with it, "You know, deal with... war."

"It's not easy. But for dwarves it's less of a feat than for hobbits, I'm sure. It is hard, especially dealing with losses. And dangerous, but I love danger and adventure. And the thrill from battle is unmatched, especially when the taste of victory lies in every warrior's tongue."

The hobbit's ears had perked up during the explanation and his eyes were fixed on Thorin. They were filled with wonder and awe, a thousand images of hard a gritty battles running through his mind. This was the Took side of him. His heart was racing.

"Tell me, how does a hobbit feel about bloodshed."

"W-Well, I don't know! It's quite frightening at first, especially since I am a Baggins, but then... a-a rush of _something_ comes over me and suddenly, I am atop a great Warg a-and I'm stabbing it in its face! But it's so exhilarating! It amazes me as to how you do it."

Bilbo's excitement clearly shown on his face, and he was almost nearly smiling, it seemed. Thorin was looking at the hobbit intently.

"And after all that... you are not one bit tired?"

The sudden humor caught Bilbo off guard and he smiled, prodding the fire with his stick again.

"Really, boy, rest will do you good. We will be traveling far tomorrow."

"Yes... P-Perhaps if I lie down, I will- yes," Bilbo gathered up his sack and laid it out for him to sleep on. He rested the head of it against the log by the fire and proceeded to lie down on it. He fidgeted until he felt comfortable (as comfortable as possible when one is lying against a _log_) and looked into the sparking and crackling fire before him. He could see Thorin's sullen face just over the tips of the flames.

"You won't be, um, resting?"

"I can hold out a bit longer."

A quiet came among them, the only sound being Bombur snoring briefly to Bilbo's far left. The hobbit tried to close his eyes and wait for sleep to come to him. It seemed that it was not finding him yet, and he would have to seek it. After some more sleepless time, Thorin cleared his throat. And after that he began to hum softly in that deep voice of his. Bilbo strained to listen over the noise the fattest dwarf was making. Then the snoring stopped and Bilbo was able to hear the melancholy tune.

"Wh-What song is this exactly?" the burglar piped up. Thorin looked over at the hobbit and straightened himself on the rock he was sitting on.

"An old hymn sung by dwarves on days of hardships. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes, please," Bilbo nodded his head. Thorin restarted his humming, which then led into a lyric-filled song.

It was slow and melodic, and the hobbit loved it. Bilbo had snuggled into his sack and his eyes were sliding closed, obviously lulled by the smooth voice of the dwarf King. He could feel sleep settling in on him, but did not yet want to sleep until the song was finished. Thorin could see Bilbo was fading, which is what he wanted. He held out the song for a bit longer, repeating a verse, until he saw the hobbit's breathing even out and his eyes slide closed as dreams overcame him. The dwarf continued to hum to himself, proud that the burglar was sleeping.

"That was a marvelous tune, Master Thorin," a hoarse but firm voice came out of the darkness. The wizard, Gandalf, was leaning against a cave wall, smoking his pipe. He must have been feigning sleep the entire time.

"No doubt you've heard it before."

"All dwarvish tunes are enjoyable, especially when they act as a lullaby," Gandalf eyed Thorin carefully.

"He needed to rest. I only helped him."

Gandalf smiled, "And that was a very kind gesture."

Thorin exhaled after adjusting his sore muscles on the rock he used as a chair. He followed Bilbo's lead from before and stared into the fire that was beginning to die down. Eventually his eyes wandered to the sleeping hobbit. The fire clearly illuminated the various cuts across Bilbo's face.

He felt compelled to say aloud, "He is a brave hobbit."

"Indeed."

Thorin expected the wizard to continue, but he didn't. He stood up and gingerly made his way over to his own blanket and rock to fall asleep on. The dwarf positioned himself so he could keep an eye on Bilbo until sleep took him under its spell, as well. Gandalf took over Thorin's shift when the King fell asleep. Now there was quiet. No snoring, the fire embers burning out, and a peacefully sleeping hobbit and dwarf. All was well.

_~The End~_


End file.
